Bacteriological Study on Cafeterias Fresh Juices - Khartoum State

Abstract

Fresh fruit juices are essential components of the human diet. However, during processing contamination from raw materials, equipment or food handlers could be easily transferred to the final product of fruit juices resulting in food borne illness. The objectives of the study were to assess the bacterial contamination of the locally prepared unpasteurized fruit juices as well as hygienic conditions of preparation sites. The study was conducted in the period April - October 2013. Sociodemorphic data of workers were collected using structured questionnaire. Samples of Mango, Strawberry, Orange, Banana, Tabaldy, Aradeeb and Cocktail juices were collected in aseptic manner. The samples were kept in ice boxes, and then transported to the Research Laboratory. Each sample was appropriately diluted and inoculated on Nutrient agar to determine the viable count. Isolated bacteria were identified by standard bacteriological methods, including colonial morphology, Grams stain and biochemical tests. Of the 20 workers interviewed, 9 (45%) were educated up to high school, non of them trained as fruit juice maker and all of them using only tap water for primary fruits washing. The fruits were obtained from an open market. The stock of fruits was stored in shelves in all cafeterias except V two which used a refrigerator. Study on bacterial load revealed that out of 52 fresh fruit juice samples, the viable bacterial count was ranged from 19×10³ to 24×104 CFU/ml. Identified bacteria were as follows: 26 (32%) Enterobacter spp., 24 (30.1%) Klebsiella spp., 11 (13.7%) Staphylococcus spp., 10 (12.5%) E. coli, 6 (7.5%) Proteus spp. and 3 (3.7%) Salmonella spp. The study concluded that hygienic practice level was very low thus level of bacterial contamination was very high. Further studies to cover large area in Khartoum State are required to validate the results of this study.